islandshore | 60 - video/text/action for travel group;;

Entry tags:

60 - video/text/action for travel group;;

[It's still raining. At least, it should be, but today we have a nice outdoor shot with little rays of sun shining down, while a Charizard lumbers around in the background, grumbling shaking off little droplets of water. There's a Toxicroak rubbing the top of its head and grumbling before a Vaporeon scoffs and squirts her with a stream of water...

And then the camera pans to Riku, looking slightly soaked, with his hair clinging to his skin.]

You know, at this rate, I bet the Department Stores are gonna run out of Sunny Day TMs. It's been, what? A week since this weather started? I'm surprised the routes haven't flooded yet...

[Groans, waving one of his hands.]

But anyway, I was thinking. We know these "Bloobers" are called Goomies now, and the Pokédex has some info, but has anyone ever thought about swapping notes on these guys? The Pokédex can only tell us so much, and if there's another region out there with tons of new Pokémon, then--

[Riku's cut off by an abrupt SPLAT, as a water balloon nails him in the cheek, splashing water all over his already damp hair and leaving bits of rubber stuck to his cheek. If that's not bad enough, the Sunny Day ends abruptly, and the downpour resumes with a vengeance, splattering him with big, wet droplets.

The culprit? That'd probably be the spiky-haired doofus laughing in the background. Once Riku pulls the busted balloon off his face, he whips around and charges...]

Oh, so you think you're funny, huh?

[And the feed cuts.

Later, a text message pops up on the network:]

Text/Filtered from Sora;;

So, Sora's turning eighteen on the twenty-third, and I'm wondering what you guys think is a good way to celebrate. It's kind of a big deal for him, and I really want to make it count. And if any of you guys are friends with him, I bet he'd love to see you around. Just gotta figure out the right location and hope we don't get nailed by more stupid rain.

Text/PGC filter;

Tenten's gone, which means we're down one of our group leaders. We've lost a few other members recently as well, and I think it's just about time to start recruiting again.

Tenten's loss means we're also down one team organizer, which means we're gonna need someone to step up. Preferably someone good at bookkeeping.

If you've got anything new to report, let me know.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Maybe, but I don't want to sit back and act helpless when I could be out there fighting myself. Not the most conventional method, but I've already done the whole trainer thing from top to bottom. Once you get all the badges, there's really nowhere left to go.

[Or if there is, he just can't see it, so he's moved on to the next logical step.]

And it's not that they can't hold their own against humans. Some Pokémon are just too timid-- they've got it hardwired into their heads that they should only attack enemy monsters. I want to make sure they know when to cross that line, because I know for a fact that guys like "Seth" will.

...For now, at least. There are routes between Viridian and Johto territory, and some sort of cave north of Cerulean. If only they allowed travelers to visit them...

[But complaining about it has never made a difference, and so he stops.]

I've asked some of my Pokémon to aim attacks at me before, as practice, but never against others in a serious battle situation. Perhaps that makes a difference in their minds, and fighting back against a true assailant would be more difficult for them.

Hey, I just wish we could see the other regions.

[But he doubts that'll happen any time soon. Took more than a year for them to even gain access to Kanto.]

Yeah, my Pokémon and I spar all the time, but I think it's easy for them to forget just how dangerous some of the Rockets really are, just like all the locals.

You might be asking for too much, considering that even large ports such as Vermillion and Olivine offer no opportunities to travel further.

[Not that he's tried to board every boat to be certain, but surely that would be advertised.]

Could it be that they simply cannot see humans as threats? Even wild Pokémon instinctively seek out humans as trainers, without care for the human's personality.

Hmm... Wonder what'd happen if a trainer tried to get there themselves. Could always make a makeshift boat and use water Pokémon to sail. Or fly, but without a map...

[He trails off. There's a ton of potential for disaster. Getting lost at sea without help. Getting caught up in some ocean storm...]

That might be it, though. Pokémon have been working with humans for such a long time that they're probably just conditioned to trust them. That, or Pokéballs brainwash them, but I doubt the people here'd create something that twisted.

That'd be much too risky, considering we have no idea how far they are, or what kind of supplies we'd need to reach them. We might not truly die here, but starvation is still a painful fate.

[Or would they be transported back to the Pokémon Center before the worst of it? He'd rather not find out.]

...Still, that's also a possibility. We've no idea how they work, after all, and some of their other abilities would seem just as improbable at first glance.

Hmm. But couldn't we just pack fishing poles?

[...Wait, but most if not all of the fish are Pokémon. He slaps himself with his palm once realization hits. Ugh...]

Man, I wish we had clearer answers. Not just for the Pokéballs, but where all the real meat in the place comes from. What is it, synthetic?

In any other world, perhaps. Though I've no doubt we'd somehow catch nothing but Tentacools even if there were edible fish.

[There are culinary lines he refuses to cross.]

Perhaps it comes from Pokémon that died of old age or illness. Which is a very alarming thought.

[Alarming indeed. So alarming that Riku leans back, eyes popping wide open.]

Man, I always forget that they can die. Guess it's just one of those things you take for granted.

[But old age... What would that even be for a Pokémon?]

It's not as if we'd know they can, were it not for the graves in Lavender Town. I've not heard of any deaths over the last four years.

[Or maybe those things are kept extremely private, like the meat itself.]

Hmm... I wonder what their lifespans are. I mean, Pokémon aging is already weird enough thanks to evolution, but...

[Do they live shorter lives than humans? If they stay long enough, will their partners just... go at some point or another?]

It must depend on the Pokémon's species, at the very least. You'd expect a rock to last longer than a bug.

[Then again, he has a perfectly healthy butterfly that is nearly four years old.]

And according to legends, certain Pokémon such as those three dogs are over a hundred years old...

The dex says that Wartortles live for ten thousand years. If that's true, well...

[That'd make catching a wild one very interesting in hindsight. Ten thousand years is a crazy long time. Enough to see civilizations rise and fall.]

Gotta wonder about the bugs, though. My Scizor's at least three years old now, and she hasn't slowed down one bit.

Only Wartortles? Not Squirtles and Blastoises? Surely all stages would have the same lifespan...

[That detail is obviously more important than something silly like Pokémon having the ability to outlive civilizations.]

My Butterfree is also as lively as ever. Perhaps their larger size gives them more years than a normal bug would expect.

Kinda like how a human kid turned into a Kadabra, but not an Abra or Alakazam. I don't get why the Pokédex singles out specific Pokémon like that.

[Maybe they felt Blastoise's cannons were more interesting. Or maybe there's some insane Pokéverse logic going on. Heck if he knows.]

And don't butterflies only live a few months? Maybe you're onto something.

...To be honest, it sounds much like the sort of rumor that children would tell to impress or scare their friends.

[Actually, that description could fit a lot of the Pokédex entries.]

If we could find a mayfly Pokémon, observing the difference between lifespans would be much easier.

Mayfly? Why, do they have short lifespans or something?

[Well, that seems like a given, come to think of it. Man, he probably sounds like an idiot right now...]

Their lives last a few years, but most are spent as larvae. But the time they grow wings, they only have a single day left to live. ...Then again, who would let such a Pokémon fully evolve, even to measure their lifespan.

Well, people let their Paras evolve into Parasect, and when you think about what they go through...

[Brain eaten by fungus? Yeah, that's not something he'd want to deal with himself. It's just too cruel.]

[He shudders. Yes, that's one evolution he doesn't particularly enjoy thinking about.]

You'd think the Pokémon Centers would offer warnings and advice on the subject to all Paras trainers. Those poor souls...

Heck, you'd think the cops would make it illegal to do it in the first place, but nope. As far as I can tell, nobody's tried to protest Parasects. I'd say we need to spread awareness, but I'm not sure how much good it'd do.

Considering the boons that usually come with evolution, along with the local taste for battle, I doubt we could convince the people of this world. Our fellow trainers and breeders, perhaps, and even the more decent-minded drafted members of Team Rocket...

[He's... mostly sure there are a few of those.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

60 - video/text/action for travel group;;

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]

[video/ PGC filter]